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Official OPPO DV-983H w/ ABT VRS FAQ/Dump - Page 87

post #2581 of 5594
6/7/08 at 8:45pm
Hi,

I recently purchased the Oppo 983 DVD player and have it hooked up directly to my Onkyo 705 Receiver through an HDMI cable.
My problem seems to be this: when I listen to Dolby Digital 5.1 films, the sound is fine and the little Dolby Digital sign lights up on the receiver and reads as Digital 5.1.
When I try select DTS (either 5.1 or 6.1) the sound is extremely weak and the display on the receiver reads as PCM Multichannel.
I've checked both the receiver and DVD player manuals and have no idea what I'm doing wrong.
Does anyone have any answers or suggestions as to how I can fix this problem?

Thanks,
Dave
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post #2582 of 5594
6/7/08 at 9:48pm
Dave,
Make sure the volume on the 983, useing the remote, is turned all the way up. Try not to use that volume control as it truncates the sound, not just the volume. Always leave it maxed out and use the volume control on the 705.
Also, in the setup menu of the 983, under "Audio Setup Page", set "HDMI" to Auto and "Digital Output" to Raw.

Does that fix the problem now?
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post #2583 of 5594
6/8/08 at 3:04am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by RapalloAV View Post

All worked fine on 1080p with the 981 and the 980 models but not the 983. Oppo sorted it out for us with a firmware update which is now official.

This issue seems different on the Yamaha RX-Z11. All DV-983H units had the possibility 1080p video output dropping the signal periodically. Some equipment, such as the Yamaha RX-3800 exaggerated these errors, which helped OPPO isolate the problem through hardware, then software solutions.

The issue is that the user is not receiving multi-channel audio (SACD) and complete lack of video at 1080p is something that has never been reported by any other user. It is likely a compatibility issue with the Yamaha RX-Z11. If it is a compatibility issue, I do not know how easy it will be to resolve, as OPPO would have to purchase a Yamaha RX-Z11 (an expensive prospect) and isolate what is the cause of the problem.
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post #2584 of 5594
6/8/08 at 3:07am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by videomax6 View Post

When I try select DTS (either 5.1 or 6.1) the sound is extremely weak and the display on the receiver reads as PCM Multichannel.

If the player is switching to PCM, then either the receiver is telling the DVD player that it does not support DTS (which it does) or the negotiation of the signal is being compromised. Try using another HDMI cable if you have one available.

Try also switching inputs away from, then back to, the input the DVD player is assigned to.

Try another HDMI input completely if possible.

Try disconnecting the television and see if the receiver does not perform a proper handshake.
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post #2585 of 5594
6/8/08 at 3:14am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bwillcox View Post

Setting the 983 to 1080p kills the video. Also, I get no multi-channel audio through at any resolution setting (this is from a multi-channel SACD).

Was this a 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, or 6.0 SACD, or was a 3.1, 4.1, 5.1, or 6.1 SACD?

If the former, than this could be an issue related to both the DV-980H and the DV-983H playing these formats as 2.0 Stereo or 4.0 Multi-channel.

If the later, how many SACDs have you tried? Do you get multi-channel from DVD-Audio or when you set the player to PCM rather than Auto under Audio Setup?

Also ensure that the Volume on the player has been set to +20 by pressing the Volume + button on the remote control. If the volume is set too low, you may not hear any audio.
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post #2586 of 5594
6/8/08 at 8:49am
Some prospective buyers of the OPPO 983 have written about its upfront cost being higher that other standard DVD players and have asked on this thread "Is it worth it?" (Note: I haven't seen any such comments from owners, however. )

Not many posts have mentioned how much money one can save with the 983. An example came to my attention the other day with the announcement of the Oscar-winning 1970 film Patton being released on Blu-ray. I saw this film in a theater when it first came out. As the owner of a first gen Blu-ray player, I picked up my ears because this is the type of film I've been waiting for - a classic big screen production of the past being released on Blu-ray. Or so I thought.

Patton on Blu-ray (set of two discs) carries an MSRP of about $40. with a street price about $10. less. A 2006 SD DVD release also a two disc set carries an MSRP of about $20. with a street price about $10 less. (All price info from Amazon.) According to reader reports on Amazon, the second documentary disc in the Blu-ray keep case is the identical documentary DVD as was issued in 2006. Other reader reports indicate that while the Blu-ray disc is pristine HD, it's almost too much of a good thing. You can see the makeup on the actors faces, etc! (That's not uncommon these days with HD TV showing more wrinkles and facial blemishes than some TV personalities want revealed.)

So, do I shell out $30. for Blu-ray or spend $10. for the SD DVD set that I know the OPPO 983 will display remarkably well.

Dana
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post #2587 of 5594
6/8/08 at 10:00am
I am planning to hook up the 983 (when it finally arrives) to my Yamaha DSP-A1 receiver via the 5.1 analog outputs for music listening. For DVDs, it'll be digital coax into the receiver.

For music listening, will this configuration work well will CDs, SACD, and DVD-As?

What I mean "work well" is I pop a disc in and it plays correctly (ie a CD plays in stereo on my L and R mains, a multichannel SACD is recognized as such and plays in 5.1, same with multi-channel DVD-A, etc, etc).

Thanks for any info.
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post #2588 of 5594
6/8/08 at 1:20pm
You can save money by not rebuying your collection in blu-ray and keeping your SD-DVDs to be used with a good upconverting SD-DVD player. You can't really compare true blu-ray's quality with upconverted SD-DVDs no matter how expensive or how good your SD-DVD player is.

The best bargains may be HD-DVDs (extinct of course) as you get true HD PQ for as little as $5.99 each (see this section of the forum for details).
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post #2589 of 5594
6/8/08 at 3:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huey View Post

You can save money by not rebuying your collection in blu-ray and keeping your SD-DVDs to be used with a good upconverting SD-DVD player. You can't really compare true blu-ray's quality with upconverted SD-DVDs no matter how expensive or how good your SD-DVD player is.

The best bargains may be HD-DVDs (extinct of course) as you get true HD PQ for as little as $5.99 each (see this section of the forum for details).

Huey,

But, of course I can compare Blu-ray quality with the OPPO 983 since I own both. Do you?

HD-DVDs are no bargain at all for me since I don't own such a player.

Dana
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post #2590 of 5594
6/8/08 at 3:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by drbonbi View Post

Huey,

But, of course I can compare Blu-ray quality with the OPPO 983 since I own both. Do you?

Dana

I am 100% with you on this one!

It is not arguable that scaled SD has the resolution of BD as it simply does not. It is also not arguable that resolution is the only factor to consider when judging the aesthetics of an image.

I want movies to look like the film source they were mastered on. To me...and I am not ascribing this to anyone else...Movies on BD look like HD video and not like film. Film-sourced material properly mastered on SD and scaled on the 983 looks like film. For example, a few nights ago we watched the indie The Savages. Using the 983 at 1080p out to my properly calibrated 52" LCD, I could see the film grain in virtually every scene in the movie. To me that in itself constitutes a resolution threshold that I really do not need to exceed for that film.

Of course no generality covers every case and I am sure there are exceptions to this rule, but in most cases I believe the above to be true. Will I buy and enjoy BD as a format?...Of course I will. Will I rush out to replace all of my SD films with their BD counterparts as they become available...Absolutely not.

-Toonces
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post #2591 of 5594
6/8/08 at 4:04pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by wojtek View Post

What I mean "work well" is I pop a disc in and it plays correctly (ie a CD plays in stereo on my L and R mains, a multichannel SACD is recognized as such and plays in 5.1, same with multi-channel DVD-A, etc, etc).

Yes, this will work correctly. Just makes sure you set the DownMix to 5.1 under Speaker Setup.
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post #2592 of 5594
6/9/08 at 1:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuromancer View Post

Yes, this will work correctly. Just makes sure you set the DownMix to 5.1 under Speaker Setup.

Though unless I missed a firmware fix, the 983 will not correctly keep SACD Priority as "Multi-Channel" after a Stereo-only SACD has played. You will have to go into the Options menu and reset your Priority back to Multi-Channel on your own.

Hopefully a fix is coming soon....?.....??
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post #2593 of 5594
6/9/08 at 5:10am
I've had my 983H since the last week of May. I've already seen several weird things like a video frame freeze in mid movie. I skip back a bit and it will play through fine. Not an all the time thing but often enough. I have a 980H that was used for video for years and it was flawless so this is a new experience for me with Oppo, having problems that is.

I don't use the 983H for music but tried it anyway. I was listening to a Norah Jones SACD and it simply skipped to the next track. Again, I skipped it back to the beginning of the track and it played fine.

The video resolution and sound during video playback is stellar and i have no issues with the unit per se but these little glitches are bothersome. Especially in light of how the 980H performed so well with never a hiccup.
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post #2594 of 5594
6/9/08 at 5:43am
I am troubled by the SACD issues with the 983: mine defaults to 2 channel stereo via the HDMI output: the sound quality is poor compared to my Lexicon RT-10 playing the same SACD via 5.1 analog

I was hoping for a single cable (HDMI) connection but this issue prevents this

Do you guys expect a firmware fix?
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post #2595 of 5594
6/9/08 at 9:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuromancer View Post

Was this a 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, or 6.0 SACD, or was a 3.1, 4.1, 5.1, or 6.1 SACD?

If the former, than this could be an issue related to both the DV-980H and the DV-983H playing these formats as 2.0 Stereo or 4.0 Multi-channel.

If the later, how many SACDs have you tried? Do you get multi-channel from DVD-Audio or when you set the player to PCM rather than Auto under Audio Setup?

Also ensure that the Volume on the player has been set to +20 by pressing the Volume + button on the remote control. If the volume is set too low, you may not hear any audio.

This was a 5.1 SACD (it was Dark Side of the Moon which I think is 5.1, but I don't have it handy to verify). I did try a couple of others that were lying close, but I don't recall which they were now. As for volume, I did try turning it up in an attempt to detect any sound at all...there was none. The fact that the Z11s display didn't light up the channel indicators suggested to me that it really didn't think anything was there...this is the only time I've seen this behavior with the Z11.

I didn't try any DVD-Audios. The fact that my SACDs and 1080p didn't work was a killer for me (esp. the SACDs as I have hundreds of them).

I probably should call Oppo and talk with them again. I have emailed them about returning both units but actually talking to them may be a better idea.
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post #2596 of 5594
6/9/08 at 9:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RapalloAV View Post

I think you need to talk to Oppo again, we had exactly the same problem as you with the Yamaha RXv3800; 720, 1080i and below all work ok, but on 1080p audio and video dropouts.

All worked fine on 1080p with the 981 and the 980 models but not the 983. Oppo sorted it out for us with a firmware update which is now official.

Im sure you need to work with Oppo closely on this one and they will do everything possible to fix the problem. They are great this way, and I know they will do everything possible to get yours and every other owner of the Z11 (who may buy the DV-983H) to work perfectly on 1080p.

I say hold on to the 983 and work with Oppo and help resolve the issue, it will be well worth it I promise. The 983 would make a perfect match with the Z11, you will never find a better player, good luck

Yeah, you are probably right that I should talk with Oppo folks again. The engineer that I talked with said that they were able to get the 983 to work with other Yamaha receivers but had never tested with the Z11. I really would like to get it working.
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post #2597 of 5594
6/9/08 at 9:25am
On the fence here and need some help:

My sister is big into importing films, anime, and stuff like that. She needs a region free player so it's come down to the Oppos. It's either going to be the 980 or possibly splurging for the 983.

She uses a Sony 40XBR4LCD and while not an outright "videophile" she likes things to be nice and she'll notice video when it's not right. (re: She'll notice macroblocking and stuff like that.)

How much of a difference in PQ, especially as it pertains to PAL-NTSC conversion, are we really talking about in the 980 vs. the 983? Pulling hairs?

The 981 is off the table because of the Faroudja chip and the macroblocking that goes with it. Not an option.
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post #2598 of 5594
6/9/08 at 10:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by drbonbi View Post

Some prospective buyers of the OPPO 983 have written about its upfront cost being higher that other standard DVD players and have asked on this thread "Is it worth it?" (Note: I haven't seen any such comments from owners, however. )

Not many posts have mentioned how much money one can save with the 983. An example came to my attention the other day with the announcement of the Oscar-winning 1970 film Patton being released on Blu-ray. I saw this film in a theater when it first came out. As the owner of a first gen Blu-ray player, I picked up my ears because this is the type of film I've been waiting for - a classic big screen production of the past being released on Blu-ray. Or so I thought.

Patton on Blu-ray (set of two discs) carries an MSRP of about $40. with a street price about $10. less. A 2006 SD DVD release also a two disc set carries an MSRP of about $20. with a street price about $10 less. (All price info from Amazon.) According to reader reports on Amazon, the second documentary disc in the Blu-ray keep case is the identical documentary DVD as was issued in 2006. Other reader reports indicate that while the Blu-ray disc is pristine HD, it's almost too much of a good thing. You can see the makeup on the actors faces, etc! (That's not uncommon these days with HD TV showing more wrinkles and facial blemishes than some TV personalities want revealed.)

So, do I shell out $30. for Blu-ray or spend $10. for the SD DVD set that I know the OPPO 983 will display remarkably well.

Dana

You pick the one that represents closest to the director's visual intent.
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post #2599 of 5594
6/9/08 at 10:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Q of BanditZ View Post

How much of a difference in PQ, especially as it pertains to PAL-NTSC conversion, are we really talking about in the 980 vs. the 983? Pulling hairs?

It depends on the animation, but I have seen strong combing on the 980 which does not exist on the 981 or 983.

PAL playback on the 980 seemed poor compared to the other players (lots of jaggies), although people here say it is better than the 970.

Does it matter? I would enjoy that material on the 980 without difficulty, but I would also notice its shortcomings. It depends on her preferences, and how much the "could have gotten a 983 for only 2.36x the money" regret gnaws at her.

-Bill
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post #2600 of 5594
6/9/08 at 10:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wmcclain View Post

It depends on the animation, but I have seen strong combing on the 980 which does not exist on the 981 or 983.

PAL playback on the 980 seemed poor compared to the other players (lots of jaggies), although people here say it is better than the 970.

Which ones and what kind of pricing are we talking about?

Quote:



Does it matter? I would enjoy that material on the 980 without difficulty, but I would also notice its shortcomings. It depends on her preferences, and how much the "could have gotten a 983 for only 2.36x the money" regret gnaws at her.

-Bill

^^ Appreciate it.

All told, do you think these are the best players to handle this sort of application?
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post #2601 of 5594
6/9/08 at 10:54am
Thread Starter 
The PS3 is the best for animation support. However, you can't make a PS3 region free, which can be a hassle if you are playing back Japanese animations which have not been released in the United States.

The DV-983H is the second best solution.
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post #2602 of 5594
6/9/08 at 10:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Q of BanditZ View Post

Which ones and what kind of pricing are we talking about?

I meant compared to the Oppo 981 and 983.

Quote:


All told, do you think these are the best players to handle this sort of application?

I can't give comparisons to other brands; I've been using Oppo players for several years and have been very pleased. I wish all companies strove as hard to produce good products and support them.

I have a small PAL collection. I knew someone who put an enormous amount of effort into doing PAL->NTSC conversions in software, which is rather difficult to do well. When I showed him my old 971 he gave up his project as pointless.

-Bill
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post #2603 of 5594
6/9/08 at 11:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuromancer View Post

The PS3 is the best for animation support.

Yup, she owns that as do I. She wouldn't mind getting some anime on Blu down the road but it's just so ghastly expensive that it's not something she's going to pursue aggressively for some time to come.


Quote:


However, you can't make a PS3 region free, which can be a hassle if you are playing back Japanese animations which have not been released in the United States.

That's the catch.


Quote:


The DV-983H is the second best solution.

Alright.

Otherwise, she's mentioning cheap Pioneer DV400V's's on Ebay and the like...



Quote:
Originally Posted by wmcclain View Post

I meant compared to the Oppo 981 and 983.



I can't give comparisons to other brands; I've been using Oppo players for several years and have been very pleased. I wish all companies strove as hard to produce good products and support them.

I have a small PAL collection. I knew someone who put an enormous amount of effort into doing PAL->NTSC conversions in software, which is rather difficult to do well. When I showed him my old 971 he gave up his project as pointless.

-Bill

That says a lot right there.
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post #2604 of 5594
6/9/08 at 11:15am
Thread Starter 
The Pioneer DV400V pretty much offers the same performance of the DV-980H for decoding and processing animation contents.

For animations I would either go with the DV-983H or the DV-980H at 480i (let the display do the processing and scaling).
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post #2605 of 5594
6/9/08 at 11:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuromancer View Post

The Pioneer DV400V pretty much offers the same performance of the DV-980H for decoding and processing animation contents.

For animations I would either go with the DV-983H or the DV-980H at 480i (let the display do the processing and scaling).

That's an idea. The 40xbr4's video processing is pretty good. If she sends the signal at 480i over HDMI, the PAL-NTSC conversion still happens per the correct menu settings and all that?

Would the combing and video issues mentioned by wmclain on the PAL-NTSC conversion still be there on the 980 if it's set to 480i?
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post #2606 of 5594
6/9/08 at 11:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Q of BanditZ View Post

Would the combing and video issues mentioned by wmclain on the PAL-NTSC conversion still be there on the 980 if it's set to 480i?

No, those are deinterlacing issues. If you send 480i the display has to handle the deinterlacing, which it may or may not do well in specific instances.

-Bill
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post #2607 of 5594
6/9/08 at 11:29am
Thread Starter 
That is correct. You can use the DVD player for doing any NTSC<->PAL conversions and region free playback. You will then use the display for de-interlacing and scaling. I know for American animations 480i works very well. Have not tried it with Japanese animations, but it should be better than using the MTK solution.

At 480i combing and aliasing errors are completely at fault with the display, as the DVD player is just a transport in this mode.
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post #2608 of 5594
6/9/08 at 11:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wmcclain View Post

No, those are deinterlacing issues. If you send 480i the display has to handle the deinterlacing, which it may or may not do well in specific instances.

-Bill

Thanks for the clarification.

She's got some time to stew on this since I just called Oppo and they still say that they're looking at another couple of weeks before any 983's come in anyways.

She's open to going for a 983 so that sounds like the best ticket.
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post #2609 of 5594
6/9/08 at 11:43am
I was having a problem with 983H not playing DVD-Audio disk correctly, it outputs only 2-channel instead of 6. OPPO confirmed this morning that there is a problem in the MTK1389 decoder and is working on a fix. Here is OPPO's respond to my email:

There is a known error with the MTK1389 decoder that is used in the DV-980H and the DV-983H which causes 2.0 Stereo to playback from 2.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 SACD and DVD-Audio discs. This is currently on the top priority fix list for our engineers. We hope to have a status update on firmware enhancements for this problem in the coming weeks.

Best Regards,

Customer Service
OPPO Digital, Inc.
2629B Terminal Blvd.
Mountain View, CA 94043
Service@oppodigital.com
Tel: 650-961-1118
Fax: 650-961-1119
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post #2610 of 5594
6/9/08 at 12:20pm
Just thought I'd shine a little about this player! One thing I haven't seen much discussion on is it's fantastic zoom capabilities! My television does a decent job, but this 983 is incredible. Bar none, it has the best zoom feature I've seen for non-anamorphic material.
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